Some 400 Syrian academics, writers and journalists called on the Islamic conference that opened Sunday in Doha to use oil as a way to cut US and European support for Israel.

"We are asking you to exercise efficient pressure by using the oil weapon against the United States and Europe to bring them to more just positions concerning the Palestinian cause," they said in a statement.

They called on Arabs to take a common position toward Washington, "which continues a policy that disregards the Palestinian people's rights and proclaims its complete support for Israel's racist and Nazi actions in Palestine while committing all sorts of murders and destruction in Iraq."

The 411 signatories also urged Arab and Islamic leaders to implement "a complete economic boycott of Israel and a break in all diplomatic and political relations."

"It is unacceptable that Palestinians are dying by Zionist bullets while Israeli flags continue to fly in certain Arab capitals," they said.

Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania are the only Arab countries to have diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

Some 56 countries are attending the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit, which is focusing primarily on the six weeks of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories that has left more than 200 dead -- DAMASCUS (AFP)